United Kingdom: New commemorative coins remember centenary anniversary of the British Broadcasting Corporation

The Royal Mint has released new collector coins which recognise one of the country’s — and world’s — most identifiable symbols of communication and broadcasting. For a century, the British Broadcasting Corporation, familiarly known globally as the “BBC,” has informed, educated, and entertained viewers and listeners in the United Kingdom and around the world. Founded on the 18th October 1922, it has continuously fostered a culture of innovation, creativity, information, and entertainment that gives it an unrivalled and distinctive reputation not only within the United Kingdom, but internationally.

Designed by artist Henry Gray, the seven-sided 50-pence coins depict on the reverse a broadcasting mast emerging from the Earth, slightly tilted on its axis. The inscriptions INFORM, EDUCATE, ENTERTAIN, and 100 YEARS OF OUR BBC, along with the commemorative years 1922 – 2022, form part of the design and are placed around the globe as if the messages are being carried in radio waves.

As the coins were produced before the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in September, the coins include her effigy created by Jody Clark on the obverse. The denomination of FIFTY PENCE and year of release 2022 is also shown on the obverse as part of the legend placed around the Queen’s likeness.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
50 pence	Cupro-nickel	8 g	27.3 mm	Brilliant Unc.	Unlimited
50 pence	.925 Silver	8 g	27.3 mm	Proof	3,510
50 pence	.925 Silver	16 g	27.3 mm	Proof	1,110
50 pence	.9167 Gold	15.5 g	27.3 mm	Proof	360

The Brilliant Uncirculated cupro-nickel coin versions are housed in a blister-pak type folder with informative text and illustrations. Both versions of the sterling silver Proof coins are presented in a custom black vinyl case, and the gold Proof coins are presented in a polished hardwood case. All are accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. For additional information about the centenary anniversary of the BBC commemorative range, please click here.

The BBC: An Extraordinary 100-Year Journey in Broadcasting 

The story of the BBC began with a single broadcasting licence issued by the General Post Office — the branch of national services in charge of wireless communication. It was issued to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. The company was to be financed by a royalty from the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets only from approved domestic manufacturers. On the 14th November, regular broadcasts from the BBC were carried out from the seventh floor of Marconi House in London’s Strand at 6:00 pm. The first programme, read by Arthur Burrows, Director of programmes, was a news bulletin supplied by news agencies which was then followed by a weather forecast prepared by the UK’s Meteorological Office. Despite the fact the BBC was initially restricted in what and when it could broadcast, innovations such as the first children’s programme were added soon after the first broadcast. In January 1927, the company’s structure and status were changed when the BBC was established by Royal Charter as the British Broadcasting Corporation, as it is known today.

From their state-of-the-art purpose-built studios in Portland Place, London, is where King George V, the first British monarch to broadcast on radio, took the opportunity to inaugurate the BBC Empire Service, the forerunner to today’s BBC World Service. On that day, the King’s voice was heard for the first time by millions simultaneously. The motto “NATION SHALL SPEAK PEACE UNTO NATION,” which the BBC had adopted as early as 1927, had become more relevant with the launch of the Empire Service; it also reflected the BBC’s ambition and purpose at that time.

With developments in television and using available BBC frequencies, the noted inventor John Logie Baird broadcast some of his first experimental television broadcasts from studios near Covent Garden in London. The rudimentary pictures were in black and white and created by mechanical means using a scanning disc, consisting of just 30 lines definition. However, by November 1936, the BBC became the first broadcaster in the world to provide a regular “high definition” television service with programmes such as drama, sport, outside broadcasts, and cartoons all featured. Remarkably, the BBC was able to capture some images of the coronation of King George VI and broadcast these images. As the technology to record live events did not yet exist, the images were filmed from a television screen at the home of an employee of the Marconi Company and were re-broadcast. Sadly, the service did not remain for long as all programmes were discontinued after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The announcement on the 3rd September 1939 from Neville Chamberlain that Great Britain had declared war on the Third Reich was famously made during a radio address to the British people and in the British Empire:

This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o’clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany. 

During the fighting, the contribution of the BBC was considered so beneficial to the support and morale of the British people and further afield that their headquarters in London had suffered two direct hits by the Luftwaffe in the Blitz. These bombings caused widespread damage, several deaths, and many injuries, and it was due to the far-reaching radio broadcasts the successes of the Allied forces were viewable from live on-scene reporting from battlefields.

These crucial news reports were heard not only in the whole of Britain but also in many countries in Europe where they were under occupation. It was a stark reminder that the BBC was high on the list of the enemy’s targets. Listeners to BBC news bulletins in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Norway faced immediate prison terms if they were even caught with a radio transmitter, but many were willing to take the risk. This was especially true in the Netherlands, where many Dutch would cautiously listen to frequent broadcasts made by exiled Queen Wilhelmina in an effort to keep up the spirits of her people, who endured a cruel occupation by the Third Reich. Emerging from the end of the war and the BBC set a course of development delayed during the fighting, which included the addition of a dedicated news service. This occurred in January 1948 and was one of the first stories they broadcast on both radio and television — the first post-war Olympiad in London that summer. An incredible event was also televised not only in Britain but to the whole world in June 1953 for the coronation of the new, young Queen Elizabeth II. On that day, over 20 million people across Europe watched the event live and recordings were seen literally by millions of television viewers on every continent.

As television became more popular and with three out of four households now owning a television set, the BBC further developed its reach and capabilities into this medium. In June 1960, a new purpose-built production and studio centre was opened and was the first such complex in the world to be conceived. Another chapter in television broadcasting was achieved in Britain when a full-colour service was launched in June 1967 as BBC 2; they were the first broadcaster in Europe to offer this to viewers. If fact, it was the live coverage of Wimbledon tennis that was the first programme broadcast using the new full-colour technology. Another milestone moment in the history of the world was on the 20th July 1969, when the live coverage of Man setting foot on the Moon was broadcast not only in the United States but, thanks to satellite technology, everywhere there was a television signal. In fact, coverage of Man landing on the Moon has been voted one of television’s greatest moments in a poll of British TV viewers.

Other fields where the BBC can claim innovation include the launch of tele-text (or CEEFAX), which was originally designed by BBC engineers to provide subtitles for the deaf. The on-screen auxiliary information included news, weather, and sport. With the development of the Internet, CEEFAX finally ceased operation in October 2012. The Open University emerged from a long-standing educational and government partnership which transformed access to university education. The idea was to open up and make university-level learning available with a combination of early morning and late night broadcasts with written materials. This very concept would become an international model for distance learning, and came into its own during the recent pandemic when schools and all centres of learning experienced closures due to lockdowns. In July 1985, a new global campaign phenomenon was staged when LIVE AID, a multi-venue rock music concert was organised by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. Their aim was to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief with a multi-national, multi-location concert which was broadcast simultaneously from London and other countries. Against all odds, Live Aid became one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time, reaching an estimated 400 million viewers, across 60 countries, and six continents watching the 16-hour live broadcast.

By the early 1990s, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a technological development which was the next step in broadcasting and was adopted more rapidly by the BBC and in the UK than anywhere else in Europe. BBC Research and Development provided much of the technology and systems to make DAB happen. Interference-free quality and additional programme information are some of the benefits, as well as clear digital reception. By December 1997, the BBC entered the world of internet broadcasting when BBC Online was launched. The first BBC digital TV channel was launched less than a year later, and with this addition, stations BBC 3 and BBC 4 soon followed. Today, the BBC Broadcasts in the United Kingdom across a portfolio of television services which includes ten UK-wide radio networks, a portfolio of digital services that include BBC News, on-demand BBC iPlayer, and BBC Sounds. Through the BBC World Service, it also offers programming across the world in 42 languages giving it a unique profile as the world’s leading public service broadcaster.

❑

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!